Adventures of Superman #491 (June 1992)
Adventures of Superman #491 (June 1992)
Superman's rematch with Metallo, who has gained a lot of weight since the last time we saw him – and I mean a lot of weight, since he was just a disembodied robot head back then. This new, XXL-sized Metallo erupts into a movie theater playing a Terminator ripoff (there's nothing Metallo hates more than Terminator ripoffs) and starts stomping on shit. Jose "Gangbuster" Delgado happens to be on the premises, of course, and tries to take on the giant robot alone, of course. Then his back gets broken. Of course.
It's now up to Metropolis' other superhero, the less-known Super-Man, to stop this menace. Metallo's new body (supplied by a mysterious benefactor) is built to withstand Superman's strongest punches and eye lasers, but fortunately, his head is still the same old crappy piece of junk. As in a Zelda boss fight, Superman focuses on the bad guy's weak spot until Metallo's memory chips start malfunctioning and he accidentally mentions his new boss: Cerberus! The enigmatic villain(s?) who mostly sticks to the Superman: The Man of Steel title! What's he doing in this neighborhood? Did he get lost?
Anyway, this information allows Superman and the Special Crimes Unit to bring out a special weapon to defeat Metallo: a green goop that blocks Cerberus' signals. (Have you ever tried to get a phone signal while covered in green goop? It's impossible.) The day is saved! Everyone is happy! Except Jose, who is now crippled for life forever again.
Character-Watch:
After the somewhat undignified way Superman defeated him last time (it was basically a recreation of the "‘Tis but a scratch!" scene from Holy Grail), it's good to see Metallo being an actual menace again. I think the cover's homage to his badass first appearance is well-earned. I believe this begins the tradition of making Metallo exponentially bigger every time we see him, but it's gonna be a while before that.
Plotline-Watch:
Who's that woman "running the show" instead of Cerberus? Metallo calls her"Dragon Lady." Surely there's an intriguing mystery waiting to be unraveled here, and not a plotline that will be abandoned with no explanation!
The Misadventures of Jose Delgado: Man, this guy should never take his dates to the movies; both times he's been crippled for life forever, it was while watching a film with a loved one (Lois Lane the first time and Cat Grant this one). There was also that time he got jumped in an alley by an invisible hitman after coming out of the cinema with Cat. As I recall, his irreversible, lifelong paralysis will last considerably shorter this time, but still, having your back broken by robot guys more than once can't be fun.
Lucy Lane is also in the hospital, after getting shot during a kerfuffle between Deathstroke and the cops. Jimmy Olsen (who no longer suffers from chronic bad luck, but seems to have passed on the curse to all his friends) is worried about Lucy and says he'd like to have another chance to be with her. Ironically, Jimbo then helps Ron Troupe score a job at the Daily Planet, thus ensuring Ron becomes a permanent cast member in these comics… and, eventually, Lucy's husband. Dodged a bullet there, Lucy.
Huh? What's that about Lex Jr.? Didn't we already learn his totally real past? Must be a typo.
But before that: read what the awesome Don Sparrow has to say about this issue below the jump!
Art-Watch (by donsparrow):
We open with another amazing cover from this era of Tom Grummett inked by Jerry Ordway. The strain and age Superman shows really grounds the image in reality, as do the perfect textures on the rubble, and the shadows on Superman’s musculature, which, along with the colouring, gives his uniform a shine that makes it seem so real. We also get a glance at new-look Metallo, in an intermediate stage between the T-1000 look of the Byrne era, and the tall-as-a-building look that will come. I’m a much bigger fan of the human-sized Metallo, personally, though this redesign has some real menace, as well as functionality–the roll bar on the shoulders and rounded joints really make it look like a robot that could work.
Then, in the book, the similarity between Metallo and Terminator is made explicit with a silver screen cameo of sorts on page 1 (with yet another 650 shout-out which I’m sure Max has already mentioned).
[Max: Holy crap, I actually never noticed! I bring shame to this blog.] The fight scenes that follow have real menace, and hard-luck Jose’s return to paralysis, however brief, is heartbreaking, especially since, as in the first place, he was injured protecting others.
The hospital scenes that follow are also very emotionally and quietly drawn, and as always from a story standpoint, I appreciate them following up on details like Lucy Lane’s injuries.
PANEL OF THE WEEK: While the splash of Metropolis’ “guardian angel” taking to the skies on page 10 is a real contender, this week’s winner is the large panel on page 15, where Superman delivers a devastating left to the jaw of Metallo. Not only is it an energetic and dynamic panel, but rarely seen in comics, a character actually looks like he’s saying something while he’s speaking!
More great stuff comes in the split-screen flashback of Metallo’s origin, juxtaposed with Superman pounding away on the villain. Not only is it a great way to catch new readers up with Metallo’s backstory, five years later, but it’s an interesting visual reversal of pages from Superman #1, where it’s Superman himself receiving the beating while we’re shown, for the first time, how Metallo came to be.
As much as I love seeing Superman pummel a villain in his weight class, I also love Dan Turpin, and am glad that it was his contribution that really put Metallo down. Is the ‘revolting development’ line on page 20 a reference to The Thing’s semi-cameo in Superman #50, where he says the same thing as Metallo, after having been similarly “glopped” by Mxyzpt–I mean Impossible Man? Either way, the ectoplasm on Superman sets the stage for him to burn it off at an industrial plant, and Superman pulling a Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego, standing unharmed in flame is always a great visual.
STRAY OBSERVATIONS:
The little gags Jerry puts into his script are always a great touch. Makes me want to hear the real Schwartzenegger spout lines like “Fuh cryin’ out loud”
The laser-disc shout-out is very of its time. [Max: Is it me or does laser-disc guy look like Roger Stern?]
Man, I can’t remember Metallo having such a bloodlust! Between looking for blood when he thinks he's killed the boy who “dissed” him (I cringe at 90s slang) on page 4, and his fond remembrance of other heads he’s stepped on in the last panel of page 6, this is a pretty heartless (heh) Metallo we’re seeing.
Also on page 4, is that just the coolest kid in Metropolis? Sure, it almost got him killed, but that little guy has real ice in his veins.
“And for what it’s worth, Superman brought the man responsible, the Terminator, to justice” Hey Clark, that’s a bit self-serving, there, bro. Couldn’t you have said “the Terminator has been brought to justice” and left yourself out of it?
Does the old scientist who made Metallo not look a lot like Matt Frewer?
Notice that when Jimmy says to Lois that he wants another chance with Lucy, Lois doesn’t tell him he’ll have one? She only says that they’ll both be fine. Prophecy!
Speaking of that prophecy, Jimmy has a chance at getting Ron Troupe out of his life once and for all, but instead ensures that Ron will be roaming the hallways indefinitely by putting in a good word. Oh, Jimmy, will you ever win?